Five New Haven public schools have full-time on-site specialists helping students deal with trauma that gets in the way of learning this academic year, thanks to a grant from a private foundation.
The $965,000 grant from the Dalio Foundation supports the full-time staff at High School in the Community and Bishop Woods, Truman, Wexler-Grant, Hill Regional Career High schools.
The grant goes to Clifford W. Beers Guidance Clinic, which provides the mental health clinicians and community care coordinators, and has been doing so for years in public schools in the region.
“The mental health of our students is the most fundamental prerequisite for their well-being and education, and for that reason, the collaboration with New Haven Public Schools and Clifford Beers is very important to me,” Barbara Dalio of the Dalio Foundation stated in a release announcing the grant.
Clifford Beers Chief Executive Officer Alice Forrester said data has shown that similar work carried out by the clinic has helped numerous students confront challenges and perform better in school. “We work side-by-side with teachers to build trusting relationships with students and their families, and to provide evidence-based and trauma-informed care to help every student excel,” Forrester stated in the release. “Our approach is designed to meet the holistic needs of the whole child and families and to leverage New Haven’s community resources to ensure students have what they need to succeed in life.”
In an interview on WNHH radio’s “Dateline New Haven” program, Forrester and Tanya Jones of the Clifford Beers Clinic spoke about how they plan to carry out the grant and about how their work has made a difference in public school families’ lives in New Haven.
Click on the Facebook Live video for the full interview.